The five most feared front-row units in Test rugby : PlanetRugby

With the Rugby World Cup looming, Planet Rugby will be taking a look at the units of a team to measure who has the advantage in the lead-up to the tournament.

We continue with an area which doesn’t get the plaudits it deserves but one that forms the pillar of the pack and creates the platform for others to thrive; the front-row.

5. New Zealand: Ethan de Groot, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tyrel Lomax

Currently lower down than they would like to be, but there is plenty of potential in this trio and by the end of the Rugby World Cup they could be at the top of this list. The All Blacks have struggled in the front-row during Ian Foster’s tenure, but with this three, the head coach appears to have found his answer.

All are in their mid-20s, with Lomax the oldest at 27, which means they have plenty of development left in their game. It is certainly exciting for New Zealand supporters, who have been desperate for answers up front due to the ageing Joe Moody and Dane Coles/Codie Taylor, while they have really struggled to replace Owen Franks.

However, in De Groot, Taukei’aho and Lomax, they have three exceptional set-piece exponents. The two props are wonderful scrummagers, with the hooker providing outstanding support in the middle and accuracy in the lineout.

Although the loosehead and tighthead perhaps lack the explosiveness with ball in hand of others in this list, they are incredibly powerful and have other strengths. They clear out efficiently at the contact area, are good counter-ruckers and get around the field to make their tackles defensively. With Taukei’aho the player providing that mobility and dynamism in the carry, it means that they are a well-balanced unit.

4. France: Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Uini Atonio

This trio was arguably up there with the South Africans in the first part of 2022, but their struggles in the opening few rounds of the 2023 Six Nations has seen them slip down the pecking order. They were almost put into fifth behind New Zealand, but the improved performances from Baille in the final two matches of the recent tournament has saved them.

The Toulouse loosehead is, at his peak, the premier loosehead in the world, while Marchand is also up there with the best hookers. Atonio is considered the ‘weakest’ of the three, but the La Rochelle man has improved massively to become a genuinely top-class tighthead. His scrummaging has come on tremendously on a technical level and, combined with that size and power, it makes him a fearsome proposition nowadays.

Cyril Baille nous fait apprécier son beau jeu de jambes?#SixNations | #SixNations2023 pic.twitter.com/wxNue9BQO8

— Six Nations (FR) (@SixNations_FR) March 3, 2023

As a unit, France’s front-row wasn’t at its best in the Six Nations, but you get the sense that they are somewhat saving themselves for the big competition, which starts in September. Backed by a fervent French crowd later this year, Baille, Marchand and Atonio could be sending…